How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Weather - 85 degrees, sunny.

Another short run. Ran at an increased tempo for the final 1.5 miles to burn excess energy.

Will be running a 5k this Friday, I should be well rested for it.

#228

z.m. - #141 

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

Was contemplating an abbreviated track session with 2nd Wind tonight, but decided it would be smarter to run my shortened reps alone. The track has a new surface, I could smell the freshly laid tar in the mid afternoon heat. I ran 6 x100m hard with 100m floats.

It is interesting to experiment with different training/tapering methods. There are so many different ways to get ready for a race, it is about finding what is comfortable/successful for my present skill level.

Regardless of how the 5k goes this Friday, I feel strong and fresh with not only daily running, but also with the other hours of the day. Middle age is not so bad when I have the energy of a 25 year old.

#229

z.m. - #142

Weather - 68 degrees, cloudy.

A nice cool day with a bit of rain. Just an easy 3 miles. I ended up at the track for no good reason and ran a medium-hard mile.

While running the 4 laps around the track I made a spontaneous adjustment to my form. My lower legs were kicking higher than normal, I could feel the calf muscles pushing against my hamstring. I am not sure if a high kick is efficient at a normal pace, but it seems to help when I am trying to gain speed.

When I returned home I watched some racing videos on youtube, and saw that most of the elite runners had a high lower leg kick.

#230

z.m. - 143

Weather - 72 degrees, sunny.

Weather was good for this race. It was too bad it started at 11:00am, because at 8:00 it was 62 degrees and cloudy. Last year the weather for this race was in the upper 80's and humid, so nothing to complain about.

I woke up with a stiff lower back. I am painting the exterior of my house, and on Wednesday I was priming the bottom slats and I was bent over for 15-20 minutes. That was enough to set my back off. Fortunately running is an activity that makes it feel better. As I started my 2.5 mile warm up jog to Assembly Hall I could hardly move. From experience I know that the longer I jog, the better it will feel. By the time I got to the race site it was feeling somewhat better, although I was not sure if I would be able to give 100% effort. After checking in I stretched, and this helped, I felt almost 100% when I started doing 300m hard sprints. Seeing all of the racers warming up gave me a shot of adrenaline, and this made me feel 100%. I felt I was ready to go, and I was able to finally concentrate on the state of my legs - they felt very fresh and strong, I can't remember a day in which they felt so good. The 2 weeks of hard workouts, followed by a 1 week drastic cut down in mileage is a method I will want to repeat. If my back could hold out I had a confident feeling that I was going to be able to push a hard pace and feel good about it.

With 10 minutes to race time I met up with Yong from the Wednesday track workouts. We are similar in 5k speed, although he has much better sprinting speed than I do (upper 60's 400m, upper 20's 200m). We decided we were going to key off of each other during the race. He has trouble pacing the first mile, going out in 5:30 or faster, which causes him to slow in the final mile. I convinced him to follow me the first mile, which I wanted to run in about 6:15-20. After the first mile he was going to pick up the pace and I would try my best to string along. It seemed like a good plan, and when Yong gave a loud whoop at the start we were off.

We watched as many people passed us. I turned to Yong and told him he would be repassing many of these people in the second mile, so hold back. He was able to do this, although he picked up the pace at about the 1400m mark, and I let him go ahead. I did not have my watch on, but Yong told me after the race that he passed the first mile in 6:05, which means I hit it at 6:10. A little fast for me, but I felt good. I watched Yong getting further from me, but I came up to Margaret B., a kick woman in her 50's who always takes first in her age group. She had a hard pace going, so I tucked in behind her and followed.

At the half way turn around I was still feeling good, although my breath was getting a bit over worked. Yong was about 50m up on me, but at this point I started to gain on him very slowly.

With 1 mile to go I caught up with Ken W., and decided it was here that I had to make a move. I was still feeling good, which meant it was time to push the pace and see how much discomfort I could tolerate. It is the point in the race which fills me with both dread and desire - dreading the pain, yet desiring to push past my limits. I passed Ken and Margaret, and was about 30m behind Yong. When I turned onto Kirby Ave I had an 800m straightway to push hard, and then the final turn and 400m next to Assembly Hall.

Yong was laboring, and just before the turn I pulled up beside him. I usually don't talk during a race, but I wanted to give him a jolt of inspiration. "Yong, 400m to go, this is the part of the race which is made for you - let that speed out!" He turned to me, and then he dug deep and started to go. I watched him pulling away, at the same time gathering myself for the final push. At this moment a young runner who had passed us a bit earlier, saw us passing him and he moaned, "come on, this is too early to start sprinting!" He was pissed. "If you have this much left you should have been running harder earlier" he scowled to me. He put on his jets and started to move past, and I laughed, feeling the agony of the effort, and the joy that comes from giving 100%. I followed Yong and the young runner into the final 100m. When I saw the clock I was stunned - 18:36, 37, 38, 39. That got me moving and I sprinted into the chute in 18:48, beating my old PR by 25 seconds. Yong finished in 18:46, so our plan was good - we both set a PR, and when we got out of the chute we were bent over, laughing, congratulating each other for our efforts.

#231

z.m. - #144

Wetaher - 73 degrees, sunny.

Felt good on my easy run this morning, so no ill effects from yesterday's 5k.

After my run I was doing strength exercises in the park and saw Medlinda ride by on her bike, she was heading to work at the Nature Center. She stopped to say hi, and discovered we both have long runs planned for tomorrow, so we decided to drive to Lake Mingo together in the early morning for a hilly trail run. She is planning to run 3 loops, which is 21.9 miles. I don't think I will run that far, since my last long run was "only" 17.5 miles. I should  stay in the 17-19 range for now, so I will plan on doing 2 loops and a couple of miles on the roads. Michelle might join us, but probably not, since she may have run long today.

#232

z.m. - 145

Weather - 83 degrees, sunny, humid.

Longest run of the year. Drove to Lake Mingo with Melinda for a 3 loop slog on the single track forest trails. We started at 7:00am, and I finished 3 hours and 24 minutes later.

Each loop is 7.3 miles in length, with lots of small hills and bridge crossings to navigate. Overall pace was 9:18 per mile. Loop 1 pace was 10:00, Loop 2 pace 8:37, loop 3 pace 9:27.  

We took the first loop conservatively, coming in at 1:13. Second loop we split up and I hit 1:03. Third loop I slowed down to avoid hitting the wall, and finished in 1:09, although I bonked in the final mile.

Other than the final mile I ran comfortably within myself. My previous long run was 2:30, so 3:24 is a large increase in time spent on my feet.

I feel pretty good right now, I hope to have only minor stiffness for a day or two.

I will plan on running easy on Monday and Tuesday, and then a track session on Wednesday.

I am planning to run the Fisher 5k this Saturday. Since there will be no taper I will most likely not have as good a race as on the 4th.

#233

z.m. = #146

Weather - 78 degrees, cloudy, humid.

Ran 7.5 miles today, probably 2.5 miles too many, but I felt good, so decided to push.

My legs felt surprisingly good today, not sore, and filled with energy. That is crazy, considering I ran 21 miles yesterday.

When I finished the run I did some stretching and strength exercises. My legs were starting to tighten up a bit, which is why I think I ran too far today.

Tomorrow I will plan to run only 3-4 easy miles, so that my legs can recover for the Wednesday track session.

#234

z.m. - #147

Weather - 83 degrees, sunny, very humid.

Standing around outdoors caused me to sweat, and when I started running I was drenched. Cooled down 3 times at the fountain in the park - it reminded me of when I lived in Chicago, running along the lake front and jumping in the lake after a tough run, that is such an awesome sensation!

Legs felt slightly sore in the quads, but otherwise I felt good. The short mileage today will hopefully allow me to run a hard track session tomorrow. If I am still feeling sore I can always cut the workout short.

Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises and stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#235

#148

Weather - 82 degrees, sunny, humid.

Had a fun track session today, lots of people showed up (10-12). The clipboard called for 5 x 1000m with 7 minutes between starts, which means about a 3 1/2 minute float. With the long rest I was able to give an honest effort for each interval. Times were 3:34, 3:35, 3:42, 3:46, 3:42. The 4th interval was run too slow, but I made a nice comeback on the 5th.

Overall a good workout. Considering my 22 mile run 3 days ago, my legs responded well, and my energy felt about 80%. I did not give an all out effort on the intervals, just trying to hit 5k pace. The first 2 intervals equated to a 5:45 pace, and the 3rd and 5th was 5:57 pace.

If I can continue to build my endurance, maybe next year I can run a 5k averaging below 6:00 pace. I guess I have a new goal.

Fisher 5k in 3 days, so Thursday and Friday is easy easy.

#236

z.m. - 149

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

Ran to the arboretum and then ran 1.5 miles barefoot in the grass. Legs slightly fatigued, but my energy level was high. I felt like doing a 10 miler, but knew that would be foolish.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises and stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#237

z.m. - #150

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

A good day for heat training, ran 4.5 easy miles around the park and Busey Woods.

My form is slowly evolving, it seems once the body builds enough strength it jumps to a more efficient style.

Tomorrow the Fisher 5k. Not expecting much from this race because of the 2 hard workouts I did this week, but if my energy level is high I should still be able to put in a good effort.

#238

z.m. - #151

Weather - 72 degrees, cloudy, rain.

Fun race today, rode to Fisher with Yong and Ben, when we arrived at the race site a nasty storm was blowing through - lightning, high winds, heavy rain.  I warmed up on the town streets, hoping the lightning would pass quickly. The race was delayed 30 minutes, and by the time we were off the line the sun was out.

Yong and I planned to do the same strategy as last week, so he followed me the first 1200m, then started to increase his pace. I hit the first mile in 6:22, which was a few seconds slower than I wanted (last week I hit the first mile in 6:10). Yong was moving pretty good, and Ben was about 20m ahead of Yong. During mile 2 I trailed Yong by about 30m, and Yong followed Ben by about the same distance. At mile 3 Ben picked up the pace and Yong and I tried to cover it. I was feeling pretty good, legs were slightly fatigued from the hard training sessions this past week, but my energy was good enough to let me make a move. I passed 3 or 4 runners trying to get to Yong. With 800m to go we were moving close to 6:00 pace and trying to go faster. I was in control and the final 400m I was able to have a nice sprint, coming into the chute in 19:19. Yong closed in 19:14, and Ben in 19:00.

Considering I did not taper for this race, I feel my time and effort was appropriate.

Next week is the Mattoon 10k. I am looking forward to it because it will be my first 10k in racing shape. I am hoping to run it in 41:xx.

#239

z.m. - #152 

Weather - 75 degrees, sunny.

My wife and I left town this weekend and returned to the place where we met 20 years ago, Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL. I was sickened when the mass shooting occurred there this past year, and I can't seem to feel the same way about the school because of it. But the place has not changed much, other than a slew of trashy strip malls on the outside of town, which are easily avoided. The town itself is still its sleepy, quiet self.

I woke up early this morning and left the hotel with the intention of running an easy 5 or 6 miles around campus. But I got lost in nostalgia and was visiting all the places which meant something to me - the small woods behind my dorm, the center of campus, and the bike trail that follows the Kishwaukee River. I ended up running 2 hours at a leisurely pace.

This was supposed to be an easy day, and in a way, it was, although I am not sure if running 2 hours can be considered rest the day after running a 5k. Tomorrow I am planning to do an intense hill workout, maybe I should wait until Tuesday before subjecting myself to further strain.

In the late morning we went to Lake Shabbona, about 15 miles southwest of Dekalb. I spent a lot of time hiking and reading there when I was a student, so it was a treat to see the place again. The day was beautiful, warm and windy, with no humidity. We walked a quiet trail in our bare feet, gazing at a landscape of shadowy green trees, undulating gold fields filled with flowers, and weaving rows of tilled farm land.   

#240

z.m. - #153

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny.

Decided to run the hill workout today - 100m at 5k pace to the base of the hill, 100m hard up the hill (regular form on odd repeats, bounding on even), and 250m downhill sprint. Recovery was a 300m jog. Was able to complete 24 reps, the most I have done this year. My last hill session was 22 reps on June 23rd. I did not have a set number of reps that I planned to run, I just wanted to keep going until my form corrupted from fatigue. It appears that my body can increase its strength by an average of 2 reps from session to session.

I was proud of this workout, not only because of the number or reps, but because I ran it in noon time heat with no water.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises and 20 minute walk home.

#241

z.m.- #154

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

Felt good to run short mileage in the park and Busey Woods. Cooling off in the fountain was refreshing.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 45 minute walk home.

#242  

z.m. - #155

Weather - 90 degrees, sunny, humid.

Decided I was fresh enough for a track workout with Second Wind this evening, so no tapering down for the 10k this Saturday.

Another good turnout, 10-12 people, and everyone put in a great effort in the heat. The clipboard called for pyramid intervals. Here is how I did :

200 - 37, 37, 35, 35

400 - 81, 82

800 - 2:57. 3:02

400 - 85, 79

200 - 37, 36, 35, 35

The only off interval was the 85, but then I pulled a 79 without even trying too hard, so I guess that makes up for it.

My 200 times are an improvement from the spring, when I was running 38-40. But since the resurfaced track has no lines painted yet, it is possible my times are a second or two off. Because of this I added 1 second to each of my 200 times just in case I was coming up short.

I will be riding to Mattoon with Mike this Saturday, he was at the track session tonight, so I guess we are both going to be somewhat fatigued on race day.

#243

z.m. - #156

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

4.25 easy miles around the park and Busey Woods. Other than a bit of fatigue in my legs, I felt good.

Considering the number of hard workouts I have done this week - 5k race, 2 hour run, 24 hill repeats, and a track session in 90 degree heat - I feel as if I have just run easy all week. Pretty amazing to be this fit - what will I feel like in 6 months? The only requirement is to stay healthy.

#244

z.m. - #157 - This is the last day for meditating, I will take a break and see if I can maintain my sense of inner balance. If not, I will start up again.

Weather - 90 degrees, sunny, humid.

Another hot day, I went out and ran 5 easy miles at noon at the arboretum, 1.5 miles in bare feet. Notwithstanding the heat and humidity, I had a lot of energy and felt like running 8 or 9 miles, but I decided to save it for tomorrow's 10k.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#245

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

This is a day that turned out differently than expected. 

I woke a little before 4am, and was out the door at 4:45am, riding my bike to Mike's house, about 8.5 miles away. The ride was quiet and dark, about 30 minutes into the ride a dull gray light illuminated the streets, and then it began to rain.  

When I arrived at Mike's house I waited in his driveway for about 10 minutes. At 6:00am I rang his bell, and a man dressed only in boxer shorts opened the door. I realized then something was wrong.

I checked the house address and realized that I had turned onto Crestview Road, instead of Crestwood. I guessed that Crestwood had to be close, and it turned out to be 4 blocks away. I arrived at Mike's house at about 6:05am, but he had already left for the race.

Dejected, I rode home in the rain.

Later in the day I ran 5 easy miles.

This week will be all easy days, a time to let my body repair itself and become stronger.

I am running the Bix 7 mile race next weekend. That is, if I can find my brother-in-law's house.

#246 

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

An easy 5 miles today through Busey Woods and the park. Lately my easy runs have included a fast paced 1-2 miles. Today the final 2 miles were run at 6:10 pace. A few months ago I would not have considered that an easy run, but my current fitness level is not strained by shortened bursts of speed. If I were to run 5 miles at 6:10 pace, that would be too hard, I am not fit enough yet for that to seem easy.

#247

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

I wanted to run some short distances at a hard effort, so I headed to the track so that I could put a time to my effort.

I ran an initial 400m at a moderately hard pace to get warm, and came in at 81 seconds.

The second 400m I went at 95% effort, and hit a 73. I had never run a 400m faster than race pace, so I did not know what to expect concerning time, perhaps a 76-77, so was pleasantly surprised.

After a 4 minute walking recovery I decided to run a mile at 95% effort, and came in at 5:54. I was expecting to run 5:46-5:50.

After thinking about the mile run, I realize that I have rarely run a mile at full effort. I have no idea how to pace myself with the distance. It is short enough to not allow an initial easy pace, yet long enough to prevent a sprinting pace at the start. With practice I should be able to bring my mile time down.

I then ran easy to the arboretum and took off my shoes and ran .75 miles in the grass.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and a 15 minute walk home.

#248

Weather - 83 degrees, sunny, humid.

An unusual running day. Michelle will be watching our pets this weekend since we will be in the Quad Cities for the Bix 7. She wanted to meet me today for a run with the 2nd Wind club at Meadowbrook Park so that I could give her our house key.

A couple of years ago I never missed a Tuesday "fun" run with the club. However, I eventually determined that running the concrete pathway at Meadowbrook was causing too much stress on my feet. Once I stopped going to the fun run and did the majority of my workouts on trails and grass my body felt less stressed.

I arrived at Meadowbrook at 6:30, just in time for the mile portion of the run. I decided I was going to give another hard mile effort, just as yesterday. I was talking with Michelle in the back of about 40 people when the mile started, so I had to run on the outside grass for about 100M. When I got to the front I saw Ken Welle giving a good effort, so I tried to get close to him. I caught him with 800m to go, and then started to press the effort. There was one runner ahead of me, and I used him to pull me through to the finish. I ran 5:55, so 1 second slower than yesterday, although I am not sure if the pathway is an accurate mile. Because I was surrounded by other runners, today's effort felt easier than yesterday.

After a 15 minute break of socializing, everyone lined up to run the 3 mile course. I decided I was going to run easy with Mike. We started at 8:45 pace and eventually worked our way down, and with 1 mile to go we were cruising easily at 7:00 pace. With 800m to go I pressed and was moving at 6:15 pace.

After the run I ran 1 mile easy back home, then walked the final mile.

The next three days will be short easy runs, with some hard sprints thrown in.

#249 

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny. 

Not as humid today, so running felt relaxed and light. Ran 4 easy miles, 1.5 barefoot at the arboretum.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#250

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny.

Another nice day for a run. Ran 1 mile to the track and ran 8 laps at 6:50 pace. I was trying to get a feel for how it would go at Bix in a couple of days. The only thing missing was 6,000 runners, bands lining the streets, and hills.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#251 

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny, humid.

Ran 1 mile to the track, then did 6 x 100m accelerations, followed by a few easy laps.

Nothing else to report.

#252

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny, slight humidity.

Good weather for a July race. I lined up with 13,000 others at 7:40am and waited for the 8:00 start.

I ran this race 2 years ago, when I was just starting out with racing. I made the mistake of checking the "over 60 minutes finish time" box on the entry form, and I was put into a chute with some very slow runners. It took over 3 minutes before I crossed the start mat, and because of the wall of people I was forced to run the first mile in over 10 minutes. I was not able to get away from the crush until mile 3.5. I ended up averaging 8:00/mile and finished in 56:00.

This year I confidently checked the "under 49:00 finish time" box, and it only took 30 seconds to cross the start mat. I hit the first mile in 7:00, which was faster than expected because of the 600m Brady Street hill which starts the race. Second mile was crossed in 13:30, and I then settled into a consistent 7:00 pace for the rest of the race.

Not much out of the ordinary concerning my own running, other than the external sights and sounds - bands, Elvis sightings, Bill Rogers and Joan Benoit on the course somewhere, and the Kenyans with their super-silky long strides. Oh, I almost forgot, when I was trying to find my way to the proper chute, I must have looked lost, because a race volunteer came up to me and asked if I was an elite runner - that made me smile....

I finished in 48:09, which is what I was expecting. The average pace was 6:52, which is a slight improvement for road races in the 7-9 mile range. Considering the course was hilly, I probably could have averaged a 6:48 on a flat course.

What did surprise me was my age group place - I was 26 out of 497 runners, which put me in the top 5%. Even though I train hard, I am still a slow runner. Reading the blogs here give the impression that 1 out of every 2 runners averages 5:30 miles in races of 5k and above. I have to remind myself that someone averaging 5:30/mile is sub-elite, and definitely not common.

#253

Weather - 77 degrees, sunny, slight humidity.

Got up early this morning, and being in the Quad Cities I decided to do a long run along the Mississippi River bike/run trail.

I found that the 7 mile race did not take much out of me - no soreness or stiffness, and energy level was good. I usually won't run hard 2 consecutive days, but it is not everyday I get a chance to run in a new and beautiful place.

The trail was flat throughout, and I ran 1:30 out, and 1:30 back, with an average pace of about 8:40-45. That would be approximately 20 miles for the run.

I am back home now, and feeling a little stiff, but I can walk down stairs without a problem, so it should only take a couple of days to recover.

#254

Weather - 81 degrees, sunny.

Ran 1.5 miles to the arboretum, then 3.75 miles barefoot around the grass loop. That is the longest I have run without shoes. My breathing was excellent today. I ran most of the barefoot miles at 7:15 pace, and it felt effortless.

Quads were somewhat sore from the 2 consecutive hard days, so I will run short and easy days until my legs feel better.

One bad thing about todays run, when I was running quickly through the grass the top of my left foot felt weak, and I had to slow down. It could be a sore tendon. I will have to keep a close watch, if it continues to feel weak I will cut out hard workouts until it is healed.

#255

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

I iced my left foot 4 or 5 times yesterday, along with soaking it in a hot bath, and massaged it 2 or 3 times. 

This morning it felt pretty good biking to work and walking around.

When I went on my run in the late morning I took it easy, making sure not to go faster than 8:00/mile pace. I ran barefoot .75 miles around the  arboretum grass loop. Entire 5 miles the foot felt better than yesterday, so it appears to be nothing too serious.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#256 

Weather - 84 degrees, sunny, humid.

Ran a couple of hard loops at Busey Woods at 7:00 pace, the rest of the run was at 8:00-8:45. Legs were about 80% recovered, and foot felt 90-95%.

Considered doing a track workout tonight with 2nd Wind, but the only reason to do so was to burn some energy and have some fun. Not being fully recovered, though, made these reasons not good enough, so I skipped the track tonight.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#257 

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

High humidity today, it felt amazing on the Busey Woods loop - I could feel the heat emanate from the tall grass which borders the pathway - it felt really good.

Legs are now 85% recovered, and my foot seemed 99%, just a slight twinge now and again. I ran 2.5 miles at 6:45-7:00 pace, it felt great to have some strength back in the legs.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#258